BISHOPVILLE — Loud explosions heard in a rural area of northern Worcester County near Bishopville on Tuesday evening were caused by a controlled detonation of old copper blasting caps found in the area.

Around 7:20 p.m. on Tuesday, local residents reported hearing loud explosions in the area of St. Martin’s Neck Rd. in Bishopville. As it turns out, old copper blasting caps were discovered in the area and removed to another location nearby where the Ocean City Bomb Squad conducted a controlled detonation of the devices for the purpose of safely disposing of them.

The Maryland State Police, the Worcester County Fire Marshal’s Office and the Bishopville Volunteer Fire Department each responded to the scene and the Ocean City Bomb Squad was alerted to remove the old blasting caps discovered in the area and safely dispose of them. The Bishopville Volunteer Fire Department responded to provide a paramedic and a staffed ambulance in the event something went wrong during the controlled detonation.

No information has been provided on where the old blasting caps came from or if there is an investigation into any more of them in the area.